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E-34 rig size

escapade

Inactive Member
I purchased an E-34 1988 vintage this spring and just discovered a real problem. Raced on the Wed. night beer can league up here in Mich. with really bad results. Blamed it on poor sails, no folding prop, learning a new boat, etc. To say I was disapointed in it's performance is an understatement. Not only could not sail to a 123 rating, couldn't even beat boats I used to beat with my E-30+ (168 rating). After talking with the sailmaker and checking measurements I have discovered that some low rent creatin has removed 3 1/2 feet from the mast!!! No wonder it's a real dog! Now my question. Has anyone ever heard if the factory offered a short rig for this boat? (Why??) Does anyone have a boat w/similar rig dimensions. P=35.5 I= 42.5 This is my 3rd Ericson and we really like the layout. (The other's we're an E-27 & E-30+) Just wish it was faster. Would appreciate any info concerning this. Thanks Bud
 
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Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Strictly in the "FWIW" dept, my '88 Olson 34 was offered with two rigs, standard and tall. I have the later, thru blind luck. I sail in a light wind area so this works out just fine for me. The difference is about 2 feet of mast, if memory serves.
;)
While this might make some difference in speed in very light air, I am not so sure about winds over 8 knots (to pick a number).

You state: "Blamed it on poor sails, no folding prop, learning a new boat, etc."

Any ONE of these can make a HUGE diffference in light air. I would look critically at the shape of the sails. At the age of your boat, a recut may give more life for a while, but it's likely that new sails need to be ordered now when discounts are in effect.
How 'bout that prop? When we got the Olson it had a fixed two blade, and a buddy's E-33 with a folder would literally walk right away from me in light air.
Now I have a feathering two blade and so does he.
:cool:

A quarter or half a knot of lost speed is a heckofa lot when you are only going 4 knots... or less...

I also see some design philosophy changes here. (On this my opinion could range from mistaken to out-to-lunch...) I will plunge in anyway...

Your E-30+ was first a very fast boat, but with good accomodations designed into a speedy hull and rig, IMHO.
Now you first have a roomy tri-cabin cruising interior with good sailing performance, but you are sort of approaching things from the other end of the design spectrum. I admit that I have not sailed an E-34, but spent some time looking through one last month, just for fun (I always wanted to see what the factory was building with my "type" of interior but oriented to the cruising market).
:)
What with my lack of cabinetry and tankage, and quite different hull form/stern sections, I could kinda see where my design rates at fast as 99 down in SF Bay. I would take a jolly long time for me to sail it up to that number, however...
:)

Please keep us posted.
Fair Winds,

Loren in Portland, OR
Olson 34 #8
 

escapade

Inactive Member
Loren;
Call it wanting to have your cake and eat it, too!! We had looked at a lot of boats and decided on the 34 for it's combination of performance and comfortable layout. Had planned to get the folding prop, new or good used racing genoa, etc. this winter. UK sails in Detroit had found a med. #1 that might work out but when I started doing some measuring found real differences between the USSA book and what I have. That's when I measured the rig and found that the mast had been shortened. Cause it's a used boat I don't know if it's factory or a replacement spar. Everything (goose neck, halyard exit's, etc.) seems located correctly w/no evidence of having been moved. Am wondering if I could add 3.5 feet to bottom of mast and replace standing rigging to suit. We have mostly light air up here in the great lakes (just ask the sailors on the Edmund Fitzgerald) so the more sail area we can get out there the better. That why they put reef points in the main!! Oh well, thanks for the reply. Bud
 

Martin King

Sustaining Member
Blogs Author
Hi Loren,
Thought I might chime in on this one. I seriously doubt the
factory would have chopped off the stick but I wouldn't
put it past a PO. Usually the rigs on Ericson's are tall and
taller. On my current boat which has a brand new rig, we
discovered that some PO had wacked off 3 inches off of
one of the oem spreaders and the boat had been sailed
that way for the past 10 years! Incidentally since you
brought up the design changes in the early eighties boats,
I can tell you that in the design brief for the 34, 35mk3, and
the 38, was the desire to make the boats more "fuckable".
I kid you not. That was the exact, high falutin' teminology
used by management to describe this highly desirable design quality!

Best,

Martin:egrin:
 
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